1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ice makers and in particular to means for preventing deposition of water by capillarity between the ice maker mold and confronting surfaces of components mounted thereto.
2. Description of the Background Art
In one conventional form of ice maker adapted to be mounted in a below-freezing compartment of a refrigeration apparatus, the ice maker is provided with an upwardly open mold to which are affixed a number of different components, including a control housing, a stripper for urging the formed ice bodies from the mold into a subjacent collecting bin, and a water inlet trough.
As these elements are mounted so as to be closely juxtaposed to the mold, a number of narrow crevices between the edge of the mold and the confronting surfaces of the elements results wherein water in the mold and water remaining behind from melted ice fragments may be drawn thereinto by capillary action. This has caused a vexatious problem in such ice makers in that such water in the crevices may damage the ice maker as a result of the subsequent freezing and expansion thereof.
One conventional attempt to solve this problem has been to deposit a sealant, such as a silicone sealant, in the crevices. The sealant is conventionally applied to the edge of the ice mold before the components are mounted thereto. This procedure is time-consuming and expensive in that it involves an extra production step and utilizes a relatively costly sealant material. Further, the use of such sealant renders the disassembly and repair of the ice maker more difficult and messy.